homemechanic

It's good to actually clean the oil out of the tube and pcv valve.

Here is the frugal way that I did it. I ordered my key from Sewell Lexus online with a coupon code. You can try to locate the code here on this forum. It was about $50 each. This way the key is cut correctly at the dealership rather buy a blank key and pay someone to cut it. It would probably be about the same anyway. You can then program the key by yourself by locating some instructions online here. I found the instruction a while back and it's accurate. Good luck!

Is there a rear differential for ES300? I don't recall. It's a front wheel drive vehicle and engine is placed in horizontal position. If you fill the fluid with the car not being even, you can overfilled or underfilled.

Look up the paint code on the driver side door and buy it at parts store or dealer. Some websites specialize in selling car paint will give up instructions on how to locate your paint code. Honestly, it's hard to match the color on your car because the existing paint on your car is old and somewhat faded. You will notice the difference at the touch up spots. Aren't you the guy the a Lexus that had a rebuilt transmission and asking about rebuild the engine or used engine? You wanted to take a girl to the prom with your Lexus. Did you finally get the engine rebuilt or put in a used one?

did u see which type of freon? i can't remember it's R12, R21 or R134a. If you try to add the R134a into the R12 or R21, it will not work properly. If it's definitely the R134a, you might want to add a can of oil in there too.

i don't recall changing oil myself for more than $10. 5 quarts of the cheapest 10w-30 and an oil filter. i just buy whatever is on sale and have rebates. car runs great at 150,000 miles. don't really see a point in using all these expansive oils and filters. my other car (a mustang) had 280,000 miles and still using the cheapest oil and filter i can buy.

do u notice any freon leaks? the leaks are visible on the AC charge valves? the leaks are like oil stains. if you notice excessive oil stains around your AC system, u most likely have a major leak. it's normal to see leaks/minor oil stains by the charge valves because the seals/o-rings do wear out overtime. WAIT. . .you need to find out which type of freon your car uses. i don't know if they have converted to R134a for the 1994 models. you can either have it tested or just buy the charge it and try it. the charge kit is not very expansive. there is also a dye available to add into freon to check for leaks, but you need an UV light to see the dye.

either belt tensioner or low on freon. most likely need a recharge for a1994 model by now.

rearend collision and then my car got pushed into the front. . some guy (fool) was talking on the phone and forgot to slow down on the freeway interchange. if u r going to have the fender repainted, make sure they sand the old paint off. some shops will just paint over the old paint. some people said it's still acceptable to have two layers of paint on the metal.. . i don't know.

Not a whole lot to be honest. If you have some good handyman skills, you might consider whip the car apart and sell it as parts. Put the tires and wheels on eBay = $200 or more if in good conditions airbags, the computer module . . . .can fetch you some money. if you sell the car "as is" now, probably not too many takers because your engine. unfortunately, scrap it for metal will not get you much either. by the way, if u do go with donor block, try checking the prices at partsamerica.com or the dealership. the overhauled/rebuilt the blocks to the factory specs, so it's much safer by paying a few hundred bucks more than buying a used engine with no history. plus, timing belt, waterpump, tensioner, oil seals and all that stuff are replaced during the overhauling process. one less big job to do for 90K miles ahead. good luck!

You new a new bumper cover. The crack is too big and beyond repair. Here is something that you might want to consider before doing anything. You have a dark color car. The paint has been faded somewhat over the years. After they painted the bumper cover, the color might not match well between the top tone and the fenders. They can match as close as they can, but always some disrepancy. I know for fact because my car was in an accident last year. The shop painted twice and can't match perfectly. I went to several different shops and see what they can do. They all said that the original paint has faded a little, which is normal over the years. Plus, the bumper cover is plastic and the fender is metal. There will always a little different in color even with the expert doing the job.

Alright, you saw many opinions or experiences from this post. You are the one making the ultimate decision and wish you the best of luck. Since you have some intentions of going with a replacement block, might as well give you a few pointers instead of trying to talk you of out dumping the car. You said new block for $900??? Double check that.. . I haven't seen any around here for $900 and is new. Did the mechanic ask where the block is from? from a salvage car? or from a car with many many miles? I would be very careful if the block is from a salvage car. You have no idea if the block got rocked pretty hard during the accident and might end up with some internal damage. It's kind of hard to test the block without putting it in the car and actually drive it for a short period of time. Testing it on the stand for a few short minutes is just for functionality sake, not for traveling sake. Did anyone overhauled the block???

Hey, I know how you feel about the prom coming up and all. You did spent a lot of $ on the car and you think it might be a waste to just dump it. But I have to tell you that your engine is really really messed up. I used to work in a shop when I was in college. A lot of students don't know how cars really work and take good care of it. They all just yell when car stops in the middle of the street. At the very least, you know what's going on with your car and I applaud you for that. To be very honest, many mechanics would not take the time to overhaul your engine. The time and parts involve is not worth it. They all recommend putting in a donor engine, but no one can guarantee the donor will be good. A lot of mechanics say they will look at your car, but I know what they are thinking. I used to work with a bunch of them. They know you probably wouldn't pay that much to fix it, so they just keep your car around for a while. They are actually waiting for another car to come in and urge you to sell them your car to use a part donor. If that doesn't work, they will simply say too expansive and sorry can't help you. You have saved up some money, which is good because you will need that in college. Here is something I can advise you from several experiences. I never had a brand new car. I always buy used cars. In fact, my first car was a used car. Afterward, my current and previous two cars are salvaged. Many people think salvage cars are unsafe and not mechanically sounded, but they run just fine. I drive about 150 miles and five days a week to work. You can imagine how many miles in put into the car every year. The bottom line is that if you find a trustful and reasonable shop (mechanical or body) they might have salvage cars up for sale. Since I bought my 99 ES300 late last year, I put in close to 15K miles without a single problem. I spent $1K for tune up, tires, timing belts and other preventive maintenance before I started to really drive it. Just be wise with your money. You might need that some day.

Coolant temperature sensor would NOT stall your car while it's hot. The coolant temperatuer sensor is to just trigger your fans to run at certain temperature. The other temperature sensor gives your gauge a reading as to the temperature of your coolant. I don't think your sensors are giving you problems. I would suspect either your fuel pump is starting to have intermittent problems or the starter is about to go. I would suspect the fuel pump first because you have to step on the gas paddle. One quick thing you can do is stop by some part stores and they will have a meter to check your starter at no charge. I know Kragen in the west coasts do that at no charge.

Are there any body shop techs or experts out there? Recently I got rear-ended. I just wanted to know what's the proper way to fix a bumper before I go to a shop. 1. What's a re-conditioned bumper? 2. If a bumper is repairable, should the existing paint be sand and scrap off completely prior to painting? 3. What's the typical practice of painting over old paint? Is there guidelines on how many layers of paint total is still consider acceptable? 4. I-car standards? Thanks a lot!!!

um... yeah, the car was quite obviously totaled! Sorry to see the pix. At the very least you should pull the wheels and tires off and sell them on eBay. They are still looking in very good condition. I seen people sell a set of these on eBay for $200 - $400 assuming your tires are in reasonable condition. Plus they will pay shipping. If you scrap the car for metal and sell the wheels/tires, you might come close to $1K. Good luck!

check the sticky up top. they have info for 1997, but similar enough to get you through this job.

Is the shop trained for Lexus? Lexus paint is different than other cars as is Mercedes Unfortunately, no. They have I-car certification. I wanted to go to a Lexus dealership, but none have body shops within their dealership. All referred their customers to different shops, so I just chose a shop that's convenient for me. Big mistake. . . I should have went to a certified Lexus shop that's like 60 miles away.

Had a rear-end accident last year and got pushed into the front. New front bumper and a re-conditioned bumper for the rear. The shop initially painted the bumpers, but the gold color didn't match to the fenders and quarter panels. Plus a paint crack was noticed at the rear bumper adjoining the quarter panel. The shop took the car in and painted the bumpers the second time. The rear color is matching better, but the front color is still several shades off. I am aware the slight color disrepency between plastic and metal, but several shades off is not acceptable in my opinion. I also notice the paint is cracking on the rear bumper again. 1. Anyone run into this kind of issues after body work? 2. The paint crack is probably due to thick paint or too many layers. What's the standard practice for painting the bumpers? 3. Some shops don't sand the old paint off the bumpers before painting a new layer on. How many layers of paint on the bumper is still consider acceptable? I-Car standards?? Thank you for reading!!!

I purchased a 99 ES300 recently, but the previous owner didn't give me the stereo code to the anti-theft system. Does anyone know if there is a code required to re-activate the audio system after the battery is unplugged? Is there a Master Code available? Please also provide instructions. Thank you!